Kevin McCullar Jr. continues to make the most of his final year playing college basketball and is rewriting the history books along the way.
Just four games into the season, McCullar has posted back-to-back triple-doubles for the first time in Kansas basketball history. He’s also one of only three players in KU history to ever officially record a triple-double, joining former big men Cole Aldrich and Jeff Withey.
Blocked shots and assists weren’t statistics recorded in college basketball until the early 1980s, so that eliminates players like Wilt Chamberlain and other KU greats from the triple-double record books. Regardless, it’s an incredibly remarkable feat for McCullar.
What’s even more impressive is McCullar is now just the seventh player in college basketball history to score back-to-back triple-doubles, putting him in company with college hoops greats such as Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.
Last season, only one player in college basketball (Tristan Newton of UCONN) put up multiple triple-doubles when it was all said and done. This year, McCullar has accomplished that before the Thanksgiving holiday.
For McCullar to be putting up these kinds of numbers this early on shows how much he’s grown and how much work he’s put in this offseason. It’s also proving to be the right move for him to return to Kansas.
He came back to improve his game and improve his NBA Draft stock – just as Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji did before him – and he’s done that already. Some draft experts are now projecting him as a first-round talent.
Another triple-double for projected first-round pick Kevin McCullar in the Maui Invitational opener. First back-to-back triple-double in Kansas basketball history. The 6'7 guard is showing elite instincts and feel on both ends of the floor. pic.twitter.com/nHI9d6a7TV
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) November 21, 2023
Head coach Bill Self had some high praise for his super senior after yesterday’s game.
“He’s playing at a really high level, and to me, he’s as good an all-around basketball player as there is in the country,” Self said. “When you include what he does when we’re on the defensive end, I think he can really play.”
If McCullar continues on this path, he could quickly join teammate Hunter Dickinson on some future All-Big 12 and potentially All-American honors when the season is over. But being the team leader and player he is, he’s just focused on helping the team win.
“I’m just out there playing, trying to win, trying to make winning plays for the basketball team.”